Travel and Lifestyle

Sep 10th, 2018

Seve's Pont Royal is now a pass master

Words: GolfPunk

Visitors to Provence are now able to enjoy a lot more golf for their euro after Golf International Pont Royal signed up to the Provence Golf Pass, which offers savings of up to 30 per cent of tee-times in the region.

There are 24 partner golf courses affiliated to the pass in addition to the Severiano Ballesteros-designed championship course at Pont Royal, which welcomes the Challenge Tour’s inaugural Hopps Open de Provence this month (September 20-23).

Among those where holders may benefit from reduced green fees are Terre Blanche, Golf de Dolce Frégate Provence, Golf de Servanes, Golf du Luberon, Golf de Roquebrune, Golf du Château de Taulane, and many more top-quality courses.

Seasonal passes – autumn/winter and spring/summer – are available in either two- or four-green fee formats, at courses of the golfer’s choosing, offering as much as 30 per cent discount on normal green-fee prices, with a two-round pass starting at just €66.

Few, if any, can match Pont Royal for its accommodation and leisure options, however, making it the perfect base for any Provence Golf Pass holder. Its traditional Provençal-style domaine includes restaurants, bars, and shops, surrounding a village market square; water parks; a picturesque lake; and France’s only Seve Ballesteros-designed golf course.

Its accommodation options are manifold, too, with the four-star, 102-room Moulin de Vernègues, part of the Châteaux & Hôtels Collection, the three-star L’Hôtel du Golf, or self-catering apartments, villas and houses within the pedestrianised Pierre & Vacances village.

And all of this lies within a region offering scenery which has inspired and entranced many of the world’s greatest painters down the years. What’s more, each pass purchase comes with a privilege card entitling the holder to a number of advantages and deals at partner hotels, restaurants, and leisure facilities.

Pont Royal’s director of golf, Jerome Lauredi, said: “The Provence Golf Pass is an ideal way for visitors to the region to enjoy a round on France’s only Seve Ballesteros-designed course, take advantage of the accommodation options here on the domaine, and add in an extra round – or three – at other top-quality courses in Provence.

“This is very much an up-and-coming region in terms of French golf and the Provence Golf Pass is an excellent way of seeing it.”

Many holes at Pont Royal are blessed with a plateau setting, offering stunning views to the Luberon and Alpilles mountain ranges. Technical shaping of shots is required to reach the true, slick greens, and visitors enjoy an interesting, wide variety of holes that form a smooth and seamless experience. It contains some tough holes – none more so than the 11th, where players face a 215-yard test across a steep rocky valley to a raised green.